Thank you! I am amazed that anyone remembers me; I wasn't exactly the strong presence that some members were (are) eh. Found, indeed... several months ago, after some chaos (moving etc) I tried to wander in but I think you were in the midst of changing the board and I had difficulty navigating. My partner came home the other night with 4 lbs of Copper River salmon, and where else would I be instantly compelled to check? It is wonderful to be back. I have spent the better part of the last couple of days reading back posts lol, being sort of bedridden at the moment.

As you may be able to guess, I like big flavours. When I say overwhelming amounts, I mean it. Before the potatoes go into the oven, they are very well coated with gobs of rosemary and garlic.

Miner's lettuce is a wild green. I believe it is common where you are as well. I live in the heart of the gold country in California, thus the name. The best way that I can describe it is that it is a bit like a combination of butter lettuce, spinach, mache, and frisee in flavour. Texture is close to mache, flavour probably closest to butter lettuce if I had to narrow it down. It is very high in vitamin C; the miners staved off scurvy by utilization of it. I have never been able to find a source of seeds, and I can say from experience that it takes about 3 years of benign neglect, for it to establish a large enough patch for harvesting.

Skye,
I see you are in the Tahoe area. Have you ever been to the Tuesday Farmer's Market, 8 a.m. at the American Legion Hall, in So. Lake Tahoe? We will be RVing there soon and I found this market. I hear it is really great. Don't know my way around the area but am told to take the exit of Hiway 50/89 toward Emerald Bay. The market manager mentioned the "bug station" Raley's, and outlet stores.

No, I am actually about an hour from Tahoe, in Nevada City/Grass Valley area. As nobody knows where that is, I use Tahoe since it's the closest place that most people know.

We have some great farmer's markets here, too, but it sounds like the one in Tahoe may be worth a peek sometime. Despite the cost of fuel, we still like to venture out. Went to Oregon quite literally on the spur of the moment a few weeks ago, and I think we'll be heading up there again soon.

Skye Astara wrote:No, I am actually about an hour from Tahoe, in Nevada City/Grass Valley area. As nobody knows where that is, I use Tahoe since it's the closest place that most people know.

We have some great farmer's markets here, too, but it sounds like the one in Tahoe may be worth a peek sometime. Despite the cost of fuel, we still like to venture out. Went to Oregon quite literally on the spur of the moment a few weeks ago, and I think we'll be heading up there again soon.

Scott: good baking potatoes, thick cut, soaked all day in cold water or for an hour with very hot water poured over them to start, dried, tossed in olive oil, then baked at about 450 for 30ish minutes. Crispy outside, creamy inside. As always, don't salt until they're out of the oven.

KVMR is amazing (most of the time lol). I've had the pleasure of meeting a couple of the broadcasters and they were both wonderful people, exactly as they seem on the air.

If I'm not mistaken, Mike, you gave me some recommendations for taco shop-style mexican restaurants a couple of years ago or so.

Now, as for Miner's lettuce being illegal to harvest- my immediate reaction was of amazement, immediately followed by amazement that I should be amazed by that. I of course believe you, but find it ironic that a park ranger at Bridgeport (the state park in Grass Valley, as opposed to the city near Mammoth Lakes by the same name) once pointed out a profuse stand of it to me, knowing that I would be eating it with lunch that day.

Skye, it's not miner's lettuce per se which is illegal to harvest. (If it were, we'd probably be able to find some medicinal use for it and grow it in clubs! ) In general, we're not supposed to "pick the daisies" in the national parks. At least that's what I've been led to believe.

Gary Barlettano wrote:I was up on Mt. Wanda with my friend this weekend and we "borrowed" some Bay Laurel so I am as guilty as you are. By the way, now is the time to grab it before it gets all funky.

Years ago, when Mary and I visited Muir Woods, there was an amazing amount of freshly fallen bay laurel leaves everywhere. They smelled absolutely delicious, and we packed all our pockets so full of leaves that we waddled out of there like snowmen. Nobody seemed to mind, and they lasted us for years, kept in airtight bottles.

I think the winner is sauteed mushrooms. Close runners-up are sauteed spinach and The Great Baked. (Fries make me feel guilty about how much fat I'm eating. And, no, the butter in the preceding three dishes does not. Such is the wonder of selective attention. )

I am also fond of pickled things and I like olives, roasted peppers, giardinera, etc. as a contrast to the meat.